Ahead of his knockout win over Pedro Guevara, the big ‘Bam’ talks to Rob Tebbutt…
JESSE RODRIGUEZ He showed himself as one of the best fighters on the planet.
The 24-year-old has been on a lighter bantamweight since winning his first world title in February 2022, with a devastating seventh-round stoppage over Mexican legend Juan Francisco Estrada in May to highlight ‘Bam’s’ meteoric rise. little sign of slowing down.
“Yes. I mean, it was a great fight. I feel like it was my best performance so far,” Rodriguez said Boxing news.
“Especially with an opponent like Estrada. He’s a legend in all of boxing, so the way I treat him, it says a lot about who I am.
“This (Estrada fight) was a little different, just because it was his territory, it was in Phoenix, but I handled that well, too. So, like I said, it shows who I am, not just as a fighter, but as a person.”
The fight against Estrada will allow Rodriguez to show a side of his game that hasn’t been called for yet: his grit.
The act itself is billed as a “Passing of the Torch” between the old and new generations, living up to the high pre-war expectations. Estrada fell in the fourth before returning the favor in the sixth; sending Rodriguez to a sharp right thigh for the first time in his career.
“Yes. I mean, it was a learning experience,” Rodriguez smiles.
“Now that I look back on it, I should have listened to my coaches. They told me not to get too comfortable: I did. So I ended up on the canvas. I just need to study, pay attention, not be lazy and always listen to my coach.”
Lesson learned. Fast. After steadying the ship in the sixth, Rodriguez would finish the round on top before a left uppercut to the midsection in the remaining seconds of the seventh dropped Estrada once again. This time, the referee counts to 10 as “El Gallo” lays on his back in agony while Rodriguez cheers.
Estrada, a proud champion who was stopped for the first time in an eventful 48-fight career, quickly indicated his intention to exercise the rematch clause in his contract. He was, of course, the first to beat Rodriguez and was as competitive as anyone with “Bam” at least in parts of the fight.
However, the rematch is not over; with Estrada choosing a different path as he nears the end of his Hall of Fame career. Who can blame him? Especially when revisiting the horrific impact of the body blow that ended his reign as champion.
“Oh yeah, that’s what we were waiting for right after the fight (instant match).
“The return match was already stipulated in the contract. So, I mean, we waited almost two months to find out that he was out, and that’s why we fought Pedro Guevara here (in Philadelphia on November 9). But, I mean, it is what it is. This is his decision. At the end of the day, I have to respect.”
Estrada’s return sees Rodriguez take on Mexico’s Guevara, who in his career-best win over Australia’s Andrew Moloney, is a shout out to top-level opposition that has brought out the best in Rodriguez to date.
However, ‘Bam’ is focused on repeating his stellar performances against some of the sport’s biggest names, although he enters the fight as a huge favourite. The only question for many is how Rodriguez will deliver from Guevara, defeat is unimaginable.
“I feel like for other people, it’s an exhibition fight, but for me, it’s as dangerous as my last two fights. I’m in pound for pound list now, so I have to go there and improve it.
“I don’t want to try too hard to look impressive. I have to go there and take it like any other fight. In my last two fights, the way I’m going to perform is the way I’m going to perform on November 9th. Come fight night, I’m ready to take what I learned from those fights and be more prepared mentally and physically. .”
Rodriguez’s return will also see one half of an exciting new ‘double’ alongside IBF welterweight champion and promotion partner Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. The duo, both signed to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, are widely regarded as two of the future stars of American and indeed global boxing.
With a card at the 21,000-capacity Wells Fargo Center in Ennis’ hometown of Philadelphia, Rodriguez himself is excited about the opportunity to showcase his talents to a new audience, this time on America’s east coast. That’s a welcome bonus alongside another fighter of Ennis’ caliber.
“This is a great opportunity for me to not only fight on a big card, but to expose my fighting style to the East Coast.
“I’ve never fought on the East Coast, not even as an amateur. It’s an opportunity to showcase my skills, my career and share it with ‘Bots – one of the best in all of boxing – it’s an honour.”
The pairing of two top boxing talents has been well received by boxing fans, with ‘Boots/Bam’ joining ‘GGG/Chocolatito’ and more recently, ‘Benavidez/Tank’ as a rare opportunity to see the two superstars – fighters seemingly from sharing the center of attention is satisfactory.
However, there’s no getting away from the fact that both Ennis and Rodriguez enter their respective contests as heavy favorites. While Ennis has struggled to secure fights with the biggest names in the welterweight division so far, Rodriguez already has a number of great victories in his relatively short career at the top level.
With dominant wins over three of the consensus “Four Kings” of the super flyweight division in Carlos Cuadras, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Estrada, there remains one name that has so far eluded Rodriguez: “The Great Chocolatito of Nicaragua.”
Previously, at the request of Teiken Promotions, the fight with Gonzalez was canceled. Akihiko Honda, who promotes both Rodriguez (along with Matchroom Boxing) and Chocolatito.
However, recent reports suggest that the legendary game could return to the table in Saudi Arabia in 2025. While “The Bam” quickly dismissed the stories as “fake news,” he refused to take a future fight with the legendary four-weight world champion.
“Yeah, I mean, it was fake news. Robert (Garcia) cleared this on Twitter. He said: If the battles of the union do not come after this (Guevara)then the fight in which we are interested, if he (Gonzalez) is also with it.
“So if it happens, it happens. If not, there are other fighters I want to fight.”
Rodriguez’s emergence as an elite-level operator coincided with the next rise in power in boxing.
Turki Alalshih, the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, quickly established himself as a key figure in the sport by introducing the Riyadh season in Saudi Arabia. events With rumors about the appearance of Rodriguez in the season of Riyadh card in the near future, it is an option that not only appeals to the San Antonio native, but is already provided for in the terms of his contract.
“I signed a new contract with Matchroom and Saudi Arabia actually has a contract,” Rodriguez said. B.N. “If I fight there, they’ll get my wallet ready. That’s another place I’d like to fight.”
With Saudi Arabia already hosting two incredible title fights in 2024 in Fury vs. Usyk and Beterbiev vs. Bivol, Rodriguez is hoping that the wealth offered by Alalshikh and GEA could see him increase his chances of unifying all four belts at 115. find a pound. distribution
“I feel that if it were up to me, I would fight there (in Saudi Arabia) Martinez (WBA and IBF champion) Fernando Daniel, without a dispute. It will be a great fight.”
Whether the future is a trip to Saudi Arabia, San Antonio, or somewhere in between, Rodriguez, just 24 years old, has already cemented himself as one of the best talents of the generation.
Maybe the desert is the best place for him.
